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People in six countries receptive to biometrics to ease border transit
NEWS privacy Editorial Office: Elsevier Ltd The Boulevard Langford Lane Kidlington Oxford OX5 1GB, UK Fax: +44 (0) 1865 843973 Email: [email protected] Website: www.biometrics-today.com Publisher: David Hopwood Editor: Tracey Caldwell Email: [email protected] Production Support Manager: Lin Lucas Email: [email protected] Subscription Information An annual subscription to Biometric Technology Today includes 10 issues and online access for up to 5 users. Prices: 1209 for all European countries & Iran US$1307 for all countries except Europe and Japan ¥160 700 for Japan (Prices valid until 31 December 2014) To subscribe send payment to the address above. Tel: +44 (0)1865 843687 or via www.biometrics-today.com Subscriptions run for 12 months, from the date payment is received. This newsletter and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by Elsevier Ltd, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use: Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier Global Rights Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: +44 1865 843830, fax: +44 1865 853333, email: [email protected]. You may also contact Global Rights directly through Elsevier’s home page (www.elsevier.com), selecting first ‘Support & contact’, then ‘Copyright & permission’. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payments through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: +1 978 750 8400, fax: +1 978 750 4744, and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP, UK; phone: +44 (0)20 7631 5555; fax: +44 (0)20 7631 5500. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage Permission of the Publisher is required to store or use electronically any material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Science Global Rights Department, at the mail, fax and email addresses noted above. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/ or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.
12985 Digitally Produced by Mayfield Press (Oxford) Ltd
2
Biometric Technology Today
Privacy debate rages as NSA moves to calm fears in US
T
he US National Security Agency (NSA) has responded to concerns about its collection of facial images and use of facial recognition. The agency’s new director has said the NSA complies with legal restrictions when it comes to using facial recognition technology on US citizens, according to a Bloomberg report. “We do not do this in some unilateral basis against US citizens,” Admiral Michael S Rogers is reported to have said at a Bloomberg Government cybersecurity. Privacy advocates are also questioning FBI plans to roll out the face recognition component of its Next Generation Identification (NGI) biometrics database this summer, US Privacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has called on Attorney General Eric Holder to explain how the FBI plans to collect, use and protect this data. In a letter to the Attorney General, the EFF wrote: “The capacity of the FBI to collect and retain information, even on innocent Americans, has grown exponentially. It is essential for the American public to have a complete picture of all the programs and authorities the FBI uses to track our daily lives and an understanding of how those programs affect our civil rights and civil liberties.” This comes as the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has agreed $249m funding for the Office of Biometric Identity Management, $22m above fiscal year 2014. The DHS comments that the funding helps assure national security, public safety and the integrity of immigration laws. By sharing real-time biometric and identity data between the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense and State it can monitor who legally enters and exits the country.
People in six countries receptive to biometrics to ease border transit
N
early all citizens surveyed in six countries (89%) say they are willing to share their biometric details when travelling across international
borders. However, the majority (69%) of more than 3,000 respondents to an Accenture survey, from Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US, say they have not shared any biometric information to date. “The survey findings show strong support from citizens for the greater use of biometrics to secure national borders, enable more convenient travel and to facilitate faster processing through customs and border control,” says Mark Crego who leads Accenture’s global Border and Identity Services business. More than half (58%) of those surveyed said they would be likely to share their biometric details to enable participation in ‘Registered Traveler Programs’ that allow registered passengers to have faster, easier processing through customs and border control. The survey also found 71% of citizens support the use of biometrics to verify the identities of all persons crossing borders, both citizens and visitors, and a similar number (73%) believe that using biometrics to verify the identity of everyone crossing the border would make countries more secure. UK respondents were the most receptive to using biometrics as a means of improving overall border security; 69% say they would be likely to share biometric data if it meant their country’s borders were more secure and over three quarters (77%) believe that capturing the biometric details of everyone crossing the border would make borders more secure. The majority (92 %) of those surveyed in the UK say they are willing to share biometric information while travelling. However only 17% of UK respondents say they have shared any biometric information to date. Nearly a quarter of respondents from Germany (23%) say they have shared biometric details with third parties, the highest percentage of respondents in all six countries studied.
Industry bodies wade into heightened privacy row
T
he Biometrics Institute, the international body representing the users, vendors and researchers of biometrics has stressed the need for a better understanding of biometrics to help build trust and address common misconceptions. This follows a privacy debate sparked by a number of recent events (see news stories above).
July/August 2014
12985 Digitally Produced by Mayfield Press (Oxford) Ltd
2
Biometric Technology Today
Privacy debate rages as NSA moves to calm fears in US
T
he US National Security Agency (NSA) has responded to concerns about its collection of facial images and use of facial recognition. The agency’s new director has said the NSA complies with legal restrictions when it comes to using facial recognition technology on US citizens, according to a Bloomberg report. “We do not do this in some unilateral basis against US citizens,” Admiral Michael S Rogers is reported to have said at a Bloomberg Government cybersecurity. Privacy advocates are also questioning FBI plans to roll out the face recognition component of its Next Generation Identification (NGI) biometrics database this summer, US Privacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has called on Attorney General Eric Holder to explain how the FBI plans to collect, use and protect this data. In a letter to the Attorney General, the EFF wrote: “The capacity of the FBI to collect and retain information, even on innocent Americans, has grown exponentially. It is essential for the American public to have a complete picture of all the programs and authorities the FBI uses to track our daily lives and an understanding of how those programs affect our civil rights and civil liberties.” This comes as the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has agreed $249m funding for the Office of Biometric Identity Management, $22m above fiscal year 2014. The DHS comments that the funding helps assure national security, public safety and the integrity of immigration laws. By sharing real-time biometric and identity data between the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense and State it can monitor who legally enters and exits the country.
People in six countries receptive to biometrics to ease border transit
N
early all citizens surveyed in six countries (89%) say they are willing to share their biometric details when travelling across international
borders. However, the majority (69%) of more than 3,000 respondents to an Accenture survey, from Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US, say they have not shared any biometric information to date. “The survey findings show strong support from citizens for the greater use of biometrics to secure national borders, enable more convenient travel and to facilitate faster processing through customs and border control,” says Mark Crego who leads Accenture’s global Border and Identity Services business. More than half (58%) of those surveyed said they would be likely to share their biometric details to enable participation in ‘Registered Traveler Programs’ that allow registered passengers to have faster, easier processing through customs and border control. The survey also found 71% of citizens support the use of biometrics to verify the identities of all persons crossing borders, both citizens and visitors, and a similar number (73%) believe that using biometrics to verify the identity of everyone crossing the border would make countries more secure. UK respondents were the most receptive to using biometrics as a means of improving overall border security; 69% say they would be likely to share biometric data if it meant their country’s borders were more secure and over three quarters (77%) believe that capturing the biometric details of everyone crossing the border would make borders more secure. The majority (92 %) of those surveyed in the UK say they are willing to share biometric information while travelling. However only 17% of UK respondents say they have shared any biometric information to date. Nearly a quarter of respondents from Germany (23%) say they have shared biometric details with third parties, the highest percentage of respondents in all six countries studied.
Industry bodies wade into heightened privacy row
T
he Biometrics Institute, the international body representing the users, vendors and researchers of biometrics has stressed the need for a better understanding of biometrics to help build trust and address common misconceptions. This follows a privacy debate sparked by a number of recent events (see news stories above).
July/August 2014